HaRav Don Segal delivered a rousingly inspiring address to the over 1,200 teachers of Chinuch Atzmai, driving home the most crucial element of successful parenting.
Rav Don posed a question to the crowd: Why does the Torah state that “ben shmone esrei l’chupah – people should be getting married at 18, an exceptionally young age? Would it not be better if children are born to parents who are older and have more maturity and life experience?
The mashgiach explained that no, it isn’t necessary at all. Why? Because parents have the deepest love possible for their children, and with love, nothing is impossible. Love is uplifting, love allows you to be greater than your own wildest dreams. The love of parents outweighs any and all factors, including age and maturity level.
This same rule applies to teachers, Rav Don said. If educators love their students, be it expressed or even just feeling it in their hearts, it is tremendously helpful in educating the children and helping them blossom into their best selves. This is specifically true with children like these,
Love is uplifting. Love is life-altering. Love reigns supreme over any other condequential factors. Successfully raising children begins and ends with just one thing: unconditional love.
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4 Responses
Rav Don is not saying his own thing. The beginning of the audio is missing. If you listen when he begins his answer to the question, he says “He answers”. Any clue who he’s quoting?
Thanks for posting excerpts rather than pictures from the asifah! Hopefully, it is a start of a tradition.
Still, this paints a too rosy picture – so many Jewish sources emphasize a need for parents and teachers to know what they are doing and learning to achieve that.
Sorry, but “love” won’t pay the bills and the landlord and utilities won’t wait until these chronically underpaid rebbeim, morot and all involved in chinuch get their “sechar” in olam haboh.
The above was said to special education teachers in a conference last week.
You showed only part of the video.